Ultimate Chocolate Cake (video)

chocolate sponge cake with chocolate wrap and chocolate buttercream

Looking for a phenomenal chocolate cake recipe? Look no further! My Ultimate Chocolate Cake recipe is the only chocolate cake recipe you will need! It’s a chocolate sponge cake soaked with chocolate syrup, frosted with a chocolate buttercream and wrapped in MORE chocolate! Soo much chocolate can only mean one thing – this cake is delicious! I love this cake because it’s very chocolate-y but not overwhelming or too sweet.

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What Makes this Chocolate Cake Amazing!

My ultimate chocolate cake begins with five delicate and light-as-air chocolate sponge cake layers. Since sponge cake does tend to be more dry than traditional cake layers, the layers are generously soaked with a simple chocolate sauce. Make sure to use tons of sauce and go over the layers a few times to make sure they are well soaked. Want a more in-depth tutorial for the cake? Check out my Chocolate Sponge Cake tutorial.

For the frosting, I went with a French-style chocolate buttercream. This is a cheater’s version of my French buttercream using sweetened condensed milk. This frosting is not as fluffy as regular, American buttercream but it’s not as sweet and more creamy.

5 layer chocolate sponge cake with chocolate buttercream

How to Make the Ultimate Chocolate Cake

This cake is a breeze to make, just follow my instructions here:
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 5, 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Alternatively, use 2, 9-inch cake pans for 4 layers.
  2. Prepare the sponge cake first. Place eggs and sugar into a mixer bowl. Whisk on high speed for about 10 minutes. Mixture needs to be very voluminous and almost white in color. Add in the vanilla and whisk just to incorporate.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Using a fine mesh sifter, add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Fold in the flour thoroughly but gently, mixing in all the flour before adding more.
  4. Divide the cake batter between the prepared pans using a kitchen scale for accuracy. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until the tops are set. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on wire rack before assembling. If you used 2, 9-inch cake pans, wait until the sponge cake is completely cooled, then use a long, serrated knife to split the layers in half.
  5. For the frosting: place the softened butter into a mixer bowl. Whisk on high speed until the butter is white and fluffy; scrape down the sides of the bowl often. Slowly add in the sweetened condensed milk, whisking well after each addition. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract.
  6. For the chocolate syrup: heat the heavy cream in the microwave or on the stove top until hot. Pour the hot cream over the semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Optional: add 1 tablespoon gold rum.
  7. To assemble the cake: soak each layer generously with prepared chocolate syrup, then frost with buttercream. Repeat process for all 5 layers, then frost top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting. Refrigerate cake with done. Remove from refrigerator about 1 hour prior to serving.

Chocolate Cake Wrap

To make this chocolate cake extraordinary, I wrapped the cake with a chocolate wrap! This decorating technique can take any cake from boring to amazing! I have a separate video tutorial for this chocolate cake wrap. Watch my NEW chocolate cake wrap video here! https://tatyanaseverydayfood.com/recipe-items/chocolate-cake-wrap/

slice of rich chocolate cake with chocolate frosting

More Recipes

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Ultimate Chocolate Cake video recipe

Ultimate Chocolate Cake (video)

1 hour 45 minutes prep + 20 minutes cook
16 servings
The ultimate chocolate cake recipe with delicate chocolate cake layers soaked with chocolate syrup, chocolate buttercream and a stunning chocolate wrap to garnish the cake!

Ingredients 

For Chocolate Sponge Cake:

  • 9 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

For Buttercream:

  • 2 cups butter, softened at room temperature
  • 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Chocolate Syrup:

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon gold rum

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line 5, 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Alternatively, use 2, 9-inch cake pans for 4 layers.
  • Prepare the sponge cake first. Place eggs and sugar into a mixer bowl. Whisk on high speed for about 10 minutes. Mixture needs to be very voluminous and almost white in color. Add in the vanilla and whisk just to incorporate.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Using a fine mesh sifter, add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Fold in the flour thoroughly but gently, mixing in all the flour before adding more.
  • Divide the cake batter between the prepared pans using a kitchen scale for accuracy. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until the tops are set. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on wire rack before assembling. If you used 2, 9-inch cake pans, wait until the sponge cake is completely cooled, then use a long, serrated knife to split the layers in half.
  • For the frosting: place the softened butter into a mixer bowl. Whisk on high speed until the butter is white and fluffy; scrape down the sides of the bowl often. Slowly add in the sweetened condensed milk, whisking well after each addition. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract.
  • For the chocolate syrup: heat the heavy cream in the microwave or on the stove top until hot. Pour the hot cream over the semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Optional: add 1 tablespoon gold rum.
  • To assemble the cake: soak each layer generously with prepared chocolate syrup, then frost with buttercream. Repeat process for all 5 layers, then frost top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting. Refrigerate cake with done. Remove from refrigerator about 1 hour prior to serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 183mg | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 1133IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 2mg