Want chocolate cake but out of cocoa? Don't despair! With this recipe you can make a tender, delicious chocolate cake recipe without cocoa powder.
This recipe even boasts a creamy, light chocolate buttercream and again, no cocoa powder required!
With a gorgeous, soft sponge and smooth filling, this chocolate cake will tick every box - and it's really easy to make.
To make the sponges, you'll start by whisking eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, butter and sugar, then stir in melted chocolate (this is the secret to cooking without cocoa powder!).
Next, you'll whisk in flour and bicarbonate of soda and your batter is ready to divide between three lined tins and bake! You can use small 7 inch tins for the recipe, which should mean you can fit all three on one oven shelf - handy!
Once your chocolate sponge cakes are cooked and cooled, you'll make the buttercream but whisking icing sugar, butter and milk together until creamy, then adding more melted and cooled chocolate!
As the sponge is so chocolatey, you'll make a more subtle chocolate frosting with plenty of creamy notes, which balances things perfectly once you layer everything up. You'll have enough buttercream to completely cover your cake, if you wish.
To finish, I recommend piling high with whatever chocolate bars and treats you have in the cupboard for a dramatic finish.
So, ready to make my chocolate cake recipe without cocoa powder?
Read on for the full recipe with detailed instructions and a helpful photograph for every step. And if you have any questions, just leave me a comment. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For The Chocolate Cake batter
- 100 g (3.5 oz) milk chocolate chopped or broken into pieces
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate 70% (bittersweet) chopped or broken into pieces
- 3 medium free range eggs
- 300 ml (1¼ cup) buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g (9 tbsp) unsalted butter softened
- 275 g (1½ cups) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 250 g (1⅔ cups) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) baking soda
For the frosting
- 500 g (4 cups) icing sugar (powdered sugar) sieved
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 250 g (2 sticks + 4 tsp) salted butter softened
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate 70% (bittersweet) melted
- 100 g (3.5 oz) milk chocolate melted
Optional
- A selection of chocolate bars/truffles to decorate on top.
Equipment
- 3 Round 20cm (8") nonstick cake tin
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C Fan, 350F).
Grease and line the bottom of 3 x 20cm (8 inch) sandwich tins.
Make the sponges
Put the milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between each blast and taking care not to overheat the chocolate. When there are only a few solid pieces left, you can stop heating as they will melt from the residual heat. Set aside to cool.
Put the eggs in a large bowl.
Whisk the eggs well.
Add the buttermilk, vanilla, butter and sugar.
Whisk until everything is combined.
Add the melted chocolate.
Whisk again.
Sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Fold together,
Immediately, divide the mixture between the three prepared tins and level off.
Put the tins in the oven - you may need to use two shelves. Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for minutes before removing from the tins and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
If any of the cakes have domed on top, you can trim them flat with a sharp, serrated knife.
Make the frosting
Put the icing sugar, milk and butter into a large bowl.
Whisk, starting slowly, then increasing speed until you have a pale, aerated buttercream.
Melt and cool the chocolate and add to the bowl.
Whisk briefly to give a creamy chocolate buttercream
Assemble The Cake
Place the first sponge on a board.
Top with one quarter of the buttercream.
Spread the buttercream to just shy of the edges (it will spread more when the subsequent layers are placed on top).
Put the next cake on top.
Top with a further a quarter of the buttercream.
Spread to just shy of the edges again.
Position the final cake on top.
Use the remainder of the chocolate buttercream to cover the top and sides of the cake. You can add a swirl or peaks on top with a palette knife, if you like.
Your cake is ready to serve. For neat slices, chill the cake for 30 minutes before serving.
I decorated the top of my cake with leftover chocolate bars for extra drama!
Once you've given my recipe a go, I'd love you to come back and leave a comment letting me know how yours turned out.
I'd love to see your videos and pics, too! Just tag me on social media. I'm @emilylearycooks on Twitter and TikTok or @amummytoo on Instagram.
Print this Chocolate Cake Recipe Without Cocoa Powder
Chocolate Cake Recipe Without Cocoa Powder
Ingredients
For The Chocolate Cake batter
- 100 g (3.5 oz) milk chocolate chopped or broken into pieces
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate 70% (bittersweet) chopped or broken into pieces
- 3 medium free range eggs
- 300 ml (1¼ cup) buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g (9 tbsp) unsalted butter softened
- 275 g (1½ cups) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 250 g (1⅔ cups) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) baking soda
For the frosting
- 500 g (4 cups) icing sugar (powdered sugar) sieved
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 250 g (2 sticks + 4 tsp) salted butter softened
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate 70% (bittersweet) melted
- 100 g (3.5 oz) milk chocolate melted
Optional
- A selection of chocolate bars/truffles to decorate on top.
Equipment
- 3 Round 20cm (8") nonstick cake tin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F (160C / 320F fan).
- Grease and line the bottom of 3 x 20cm (8 inch) sandwich tins.
Make the sponges
- Put the milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between each blast and taking care not to overheat the chocolate. When there are only a few solid pieces left, you can stop heating as they will melt from the residual heat. Set aside to cool.
- Put the eggs in a large bowl and whisk.
- Add the buttermilk, vanilla, butter and sugar. Whisk until everything is combined.
- Add the melted chocolate and whisk again.
- Sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Fold together,
- Immediately divide the mixture between the three prepared tins and level off.
- Put the tins in the oven - you may need to use two shelves. Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
- Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for minutes before removing from the tins and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If any of the cakes have domed on top, you can trim them flat with a sharp, serrated knife.
Make the frosting
- Put the icing sugar, milk and butter into a large bowl.
- Whisk, starting slowly, then increasing speed until you have a pale, aerated buttercream.
- Melt and cool the chocolate and add to the bowl.
- Whisk briefly to give a creamy chocolate buttercream
Assemble The Cake
- Place the first sponge on a board. Top with one quarter of the buttercream, spreading just shy of the edges (it will spread more when the subsequent layers are placed on top).
- Put the next cake on top and top with a further a quarter of the buttercream.
- Position the final cake on top, then use the remainder of the chocolate buttercream to cover the top and sides of the cake. You can add a swirl or peaks on top with a palette knife, if you like.
- Your cake is ready to serve. For neat slices, chill the cake for 30 minutes before serving.
- I decorated the top of my cake with leftover chocolate bars for extra drama!
Notes
Nutrition
More chocolate cake recipes to try
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Ash says
I’m not much of a baker, but I had a hankering for chocolate cake but don’t have any cocoa powder.
I don’t actually have any cake pans so I had to use my bread loaf pans so they were a little crispy around the edges, but oh my LAWD is the cake moist and soft! Honestly the best cake I’ve ever made.
I just used regular icing made with icing sugar, vanilla and milk but it was still good. I’m no good at sculpting and layering cakes so I just have them as individuals but that’s ok.
Definitely going to be using this recipe again when I get some decent cake pans! Next time I might even push myself and have a crack at buttercream.
Just wondering, can this recipe be adapted to use cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate?
Emily Leary says
Hi. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I agree it's a really lovely, tender sponge.
I haven't tried adapting this recipe to use cocoa powder, I'm afraid, but you'd need to swap the chocolate for cocoa and fat (either oil or butter). There's a substitution table here that might help https://foodthoughts.co.uk/can-i-replace-chocolate-with-cocoa-powder/
Ash says
Thanks Emily!
I tried it with cocoa powder and it’s definitely not as good, a lot drier.
I made it again tonight using melted chocolate again and it’s as good as the first time. I know to keep a stock of melts now!
Harpper says
It was amazing and the icing complemented the cake very well
Allison says
The icing was so buttery it made me throw up . It tried everything I could to make it taste better but my attempts were fruitless.
Emily Leary says
Hi. That's super weird - I've tested this recipe plenty of times and the icing tastes great. 2:1 icing sugar to butter is really standard for buttercream, and there's added chocolate in this version too, do it really isn't high in butter. If it tasted bad, my best guess is that your measurements were off, or it was really bad chocolate.
Mindy Powers says
I'm surprised there are no comments on this recipe. looks great. Hope it tastes as good as it looks. ;)