This triple chocolate cake is made with moist chocolate cake, frosted with chocolate buttercream, chocolate ganache drip, and chocolate whipped cream.
Imagine a cake that takes chocolate to the next level – a triple chocolate cake. This indulgent treat consists of three layers of rich, moist chocolate cake, sandwiched together with luscious chocolate buttercream frosting.
But that's not all! The cake is then coated with a silky-smooth chocolate ganache drip, creating a mesmerizing cascade of chocolatey goodness down the sides.
Finally, dollops of light and airy chocolate whipped cream adorn the top, adding a delightful contrast in texture.
Each bite of this chocolate cake is a heavenly experience, melting in your mouth and satisfying even the most intense chocolate cravings.
For more delicious chocolate cake recipes, check out my matildas chocolate cake, chewy and fudgy brownies, best ever chocolate cake, chewy double chocolate cookies, and our easy chocolate cupcakes!
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Why this recipe works
- Triple chocolate- this delicious cake is made with three chocolate cake layers, topped with chocolate buttercream, chocolate ganache, and chocolate whipped cream which means that theres a lot of chocolate flavor.
- Perfect for any occasion- this cake is perfect for any occasion like birthdays, holidays, parties, etc.
- Texture- this cake is unbelievably moist and tender and has a super soft crumb that melts in your mouth with the chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache.
- Better than a boxed cake mix- this recipe is so much better than a boxed chocolate mix cake and also super easy to make.
- Simple- this cake comes together in one bowl! All you will need is a large bowl and a whisk to make this which means minimal ingredients to wash.
How to bake even cake layers
My biggest tip to make even cake layers is to use a scale and cake strips. Weigh the chocolate cake batter and divide it into two even pans.
Then use cake strips to make sure your cake layers bake evenly and don’t develop a dome on top. Cake strips give you an evenly baked cake with a flat top.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Dutch cocoa powder– we like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our chocolate cake because we like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
Baking powder and baking soda – to help the cake rise.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Vegetable oil – we used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Eggs- To give the cake a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs.
Buttermilk- gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Hot coffee- make a strong hot coffee, you can use espresso or instant coffee, both will work.
Vanilla extract- Vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for chocolate cake.
Salt- We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the cake a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
For the chocolate frosting
Butter- make sure you are using room temperate butter.
Dark chocolate- melt the dark chocolate in the microwave or on the stovetop (bain-marie) and let it cool completely so it won’t melt the butter.
For the chocolate whipped cream and chocolate ganache
Chocolate- use the best quality semisweet or dark chocolate bars for the best flavor. using the best quality dark chocolate is very important in this recipe.
Heavy cream- use full-fat heavy cream for this recipe.
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep three 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
In a big mixing bowl, add the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, sugar, cocoa powder, and buttermilk. Mix well until combined. Add the kosher salt and the hot coffee, and mix well until the batter is smooth.
Add the hot coffee and mix well.
Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until just combined!
Divide the mixture into three 8-inch baking pans, we suggest using cake strips for even baking. (weight the batter for better results) and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the frosting won't melt off the cake.
Make the chocolate buttercream
Into a large bowl add room temperature butter and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy.
Add half of the powder sugar and the cocoa powder and carefully mix until combined. Add the other half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
Melt dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate and let it cool completely to room temperature. Add the melted chocolate to the mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
Make the chocolate ganache
Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 50 seconds.
Let the chocolate and the cream sit for 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then mix until the chocolate ganache is smooth and silky.
Make the chocolate whipped cream
In a cold big mixing bowl add the heavy whipping cream, sift the cocoa powder, and add the sugar and vanilla.
Whip with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Make sure that you don't overmix the whipped cream so it won't turn into butter.
Assembly
Pipe a small dollop of the frosting on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
Top the first cake layer with ⅓ of the buttercream and spread an even layer using a spatula. Repeat with the second cake layer, and top it with the third cake layer.
Frost the cake with a very thin layer of buttercream, and place the cake in the freezer to set for 15 minutes. (this is the crumb coat)
Remove the cake from the freezer and frost it with the remaining frosting and place it in the freezer for another 10 minutes to set.
Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake and use a spatula to carefully push the ganache around the edges of the cake until a drip design forms.
Make dollops of the chocolate whipped cream around the edges of the cake. We used a 1M piping tip.
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip the coffee in the cake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Cool the melted chocolate before adding it to the chocolate frosting! This step is a must, if the melted chocolate will be hot, it will melt the butter and the chocolate frosting will be ruined.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making the buttercream, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the frosting.
- Be patient! It’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
Faq's
Yes. You can use 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Take into consideration that the cake layers will be thicker.
No! you can’t taste the coffee. Adding the coffee simply enhances the chocolate flavor. So, don’t skip the coffee on the cake!
Yes! If you want to add more chocolate, you can add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the cake mixture. To prevent the chocolate chips from sinking, coat them with a little bit of flour before adding them to the batter.
This triple chocolate cake is made of three layers of moist chocolate cake, frosted with chocolate buttercream, topped with a chocolate ganache drizzle, and dollops of chocolate whipped cream.
Storing
This cake will last up to 4 in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. This cake tastes amazing the day after.
Freezing
You can freeze this cake after it cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months, some people find the cake tastes better after freezing it.
You can freeze the whole cake or slice it into slices and then freeze it.
If you are freezing individual slices of the cake, I would recommend storing them in a ziplock bag and then transferring them to an airtight freezer-friendly container.
Make it ahead of time
You can make this cake ahead by freezing the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap each cake layer with a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
Thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the fridge overnight.
When you are ready to frost and assemble the cake, make the frosting, and assemble the cake as written in the instructions!
Substitutions
Dairy-free- to make this cake dairy-free, replace the buttermilk with almond milk and replace the butter in the frosting with vegan butter. Also, replace the chocolate ganache with vegan chocolate ganache.
Egg-free- to make this cake egg-free, replace the eggs with ⅔ cup of applesauce.
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Zest- lots of people like the orange and chocolate combinations. If you do, add 1 tablespoon of orange zest to this cake to add a zesty orange flavor.
Frosting- Use your favorite chocolate frosting like dark chocolate frosting, chocolate whipped cream frosting, chocolate fudge frosting, chocolate cream cheese frosting, etc.
Chocolate ganache- make a white chocolate ganache or milk chocolate ganache instead of a classic ganache.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- 8-inch cake pans.
- Cake Strips
- Electric hand mixer
- Rubber spatula
More chocolate recipes
Chocolate sour cream pound cake- This chocolate sour cream pound cake is moist, chocolaty, and easy to make. It's topped with a silky smooth chocolate ganache that makes this cake irresistible.
Small chocolate cake- This small chocolate cake is perfect when you're craving a chocolate cake but don't want to make a big chocolate cake. We made this chocolate cake in an 8x8 inch baking pan.
Double chocolate banana bread- This double chocolate banana bread is filled and topped with chocolate chips, extra moist, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
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If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
The BEST Triple Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cups Flour
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 cups Granulated sugar
- 3 Eggs
- ¾ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup Coffee hot
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
For the chocolate frosting:
- 2 cups Butter room temp, unsalted
- 2 ⅔ cups Powder sugar
- ⅔ cup Cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 4.5 oz Semisweet chocolate melted and cooled
For the chocolate whipped cream:
- 1 cup Heavy cream cold
- ¼ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Powder sugar
For the chocolate ganache:
- 3.5 oz Dark chocolate or semisweet
- 3.5 oz Heavy cream
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep three 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, sugar, cocoa powder, and buttermilk. Mix well until combined. Add the kosher salt and the hot coffee, and mix well until the batter is smooth.
- Add the hot coffee and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until just combined!
- Divide the mixture into three 8-inch baking pans, we suggest using cake strips for even baking. (weight the batter for better results) and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the frosting won't melt off the cake.
For the frosting:
- Make the chocolate frosting: into a large bowl add room temperature butter and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy.
- Add half of the powder sugar and the cocoa powder and carefully mix until combined.
- Add the other half of the powder sugar and mix until smooth.
- Melt dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate and let it cool completely to room temperature.
- Add the melted chocolate to the mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
Make the chocolate ganache:
- Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 50 seconds.
- Let the chocolate and the cream sit for 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then mix until the chocolate ganache is smooth and silky.
Make the chocolate whipped cream:
- In a cold big mixing bowl add the heavy whipping cream, sift the cocoa powder, and add the sugar and vanilla.
- Whip with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Make sure that you don't overmix the whipped cream so it won't turn into butter.
Assembly
- Pipe a small dollop of the frosting on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
- Top the first cake layer with ⅓ of the buttercream and spread an even layer using a spatula. Repeat with the second cake layer, and top it with the third cake layer.
- Frost the cake with a very thin layer of buttercream, and place the cake in the freezer to set for 15 minutes. (this is the crumb coat)
- Remove the cake from the freezer and frost it with the remaining frosting and place it in the freezer for another 10 minutes to set.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake and use a spatula to carefully push the ganache around the edges of the cake until a drip design forms.
- Make dollops of the chocolate whipped cream around the edges of the cake. We used a 1M piping tip.
Notes
- Don’t skip the coffee in the cake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Cool the melted chocolate before adding it to the chocolate frosting! This step is a must, if the melted chocolate will be hot, it will melt the butter and the chocolate frosting will be ruined.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making the buttercream, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the frosting.
- Be patient! It’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
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