Southern Chocolate cake are a favorite amongst so many. It’s moist and rich filling takes the cake! Chocolate cake is a great recipe to incorporate into your holidays! It’s filled with dark chocolate and a few other ingredients that will have you jumping for joy. This moist cake recipe can be recreated easily with just a few simple steps. You can opt to use sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder for my healthy folks out there. Another great thing about this delicious chocolate cake is that you can have it finished in about 30 to 35 minutes depending on the size of the cake! Well, enough talking my friends. Let’s get to baking a classic chocolate cake!

Why You Should Make Southern Chocolate Cake?

Extremely Easy- You can definitely press the easy button on this southern chocolate cake recipe. The hardest part about this recipe is gather all of the ingredients and waiting for this delicious southern chocolate cake to cool off!

Out of this world delicious- The flavors in this Southern chocolate cake is unmatched. Who doesn’t love a large delicious piece of chocolate cake not to mention that you can add a ton of different ingredients to this cake. It’s kind of like a make it your own type of cake if you like.

Perfect For Special Occasion- if you are having an event but you are pushed for time then this is the cake for you. The cook time and cleanup is almost little to none.

Ingredients You Will Need Southern Chocolate Cake

All Purpose Flour- This is what will help create the taste of this simple chocolate cake recipe. Flour doesn’t have an overbearing taste which allows the cake to really shine and you to enjoy the flavor thoroughly. Flour also create a softer texture than other flours have. The best flour to use is Martha White.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder- is used in entire chocolate cake for its intense chocolate flavor, ability to balance sweetness, smooth texture, darker color, versatility in baking, and potential health benefits.

White sugar- The sugar is used to bring in all of the sweetness to this fluffy cake. If you are a person that is on a keto diet you will need to use other alternatives such as monk fruit sugar.

Vegetable Oil- is used in chocolate cake for its ability to keep the cake moist, add richness, enhance the texture, and make the cake more tender.

Extra Ingredients

Salt- is used in chocolate cake to enhance the flavor and balance the sweetness of the chocolate. It helps to bring out the richness and depth of the chocolate flavor, making the cake more delicious and satisfying.

Eggs- are a crucial ingredient in chocolate cake as they provide structure, moisture, and richness to the batter. They help bind the ingredients together, giving the cake a tender and fluffy texture. Additionally, eggs contribute to the overall flavor and color of the chocolate cake, creating a more indulgent and satisfying dessert.

Buttermilk- is often used in chocolate cake recipes because it adds moisture, tenderness, and tanginess to the batter. The acidity of buttermilk reacts with baking soda or baking powder, resulting in a lighter and more tender cake. It also helps to enhance the flavor of chocolate and adds depth to the overall taste of the cake. Additionally, buttermilk helps to balance the sweetness of the chocolate, creating a well-rounded and delicious dessert.

The full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card.

How To Make Southern Chocolate Cake

To make this rich chocolate cake you will only need to follow a few simple steps. The main thing to ensure that you are doing is mixing the dry ingredients separately and the wet ingredients separately.

1: The first thing we will need to do is gather all of our ingredients all-purpose flour, eggs, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, , buttermilk, vanilla extract, water, salt, honey, oil and sugar!

2: Set your oven to 350f.

3: Spray the bottom of your baking pan with nonstick spray or butter the pan with butter. It’s Your preference.

4: Grab a mixing bowl and stir in flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Make sure everything is blended for the best results for a fluffy chocolate cake.

5: Grab a separate mixing bowl and add eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract, then slowly whisk in boiling water.

6: Now, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

7: Pour batter into the baking dish.

8: Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Start checking if the cake is ready in around 28 minutes because every oven is a little different. To make sure the cake is done, stick a toothpick in the cake. Remove the toothpick; if the toothpick is dry, the cake is done. If the toothpick comes out wet, let it bake a little longer.

9: Once done, take the cake out and place on a cooling rack to cool down for about 10-15 minutes. Then you can start frosting your cake! i frosted my cake with store-bought chocolate icing and added some chocolate chips onto the sides of the cake. For the sake of time but i will have my homemade chocolate buttercream frosting version listed below in the instructions.

Substitutions

Whole Milk- If you are not a fan of buttermilk you can most certainly use whole milk, 2% milk, reduced fat, or skim milk. It’s your preference.

Unsweetened/Sweetened Cocoa Powder- Either one of these will do the trick in this recipe.

Kosher Salt- If you aren’t a big fan of pure salt, then you can try switching things up with sea salt or Himalayan salt.

Variations

Nutty Chocolate Cake- If you would like, you can add about ½ cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or cashews to this Southern chocolate cake, and it will be even more delicious.

Vanilla Frosting- If you don’t want too much chocolate, you can top this Southern chocolate cake with any frosting you choose. Vanilla is an excellent option for this.

Toppings- If you aren’t entirely sold on the chocolate chips I used,, you could use walnuts, pecans, sprinkles, or even fruits such as raspberries to make the perfect Southern chocolate cake.

Bundt Cake- Make this cake a chocolate Bundt cake. This is a great option if you want to have this beauty next time at the table for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Chocolate Cupcakes- Instead of making an easy chocolate cake recipe, you can make cupcakes and forget about a whole cake.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake- Instead of using chocolate frosting use peanut butter frosting to add a little more excitement to the mix of things.

What To Pair with Southern Chocolate Cake

Vanilla Ice Cream- A scoop of vanilla ice cream would pair perfectly with this Southern chocolate cake.

Caramel Sauce– This and the vanilla ice cream can pair well with this Southern chocolate cake. If. You don’t necessarily want the scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can drizzle the caramel sauce over the top.

Equipment

When baking this Southern chocolate cake, you will need a few simple baking equipment and utensils. I will gladly list them below!

Mixing bowls– You will need various mixing bowls to create this chocolate cake.

Measuring Cups- This will help you to make sure you have all of the ingredients measured correctly for this cake. When baking, you want to make sure you have everything measured accurately.

Electric Mixer- This will help to ensure the smoothness of the cake and all of the ingredients. You don’t need to purchase the large stand mixer. You can use a handheld electric mixer for this Southern Chocolate cake; it will do just fine.

Cake Pans- I used a circular cake pan. The sizing is 6 inches. If you use anything more significant than this, you may have to double the recipe.

Wire Racks- Using a cooling rack will allow your cake to cook correctly and not crack. It also stops the cake from becoming too soggy on the bottom.

Cooking Utensils- You will need a variety of cooking utensils, such as a spatula, hand mixer, and wire whisk. All of these cooking tools will help smooth the wet and dry ingredients. Also, it will help with the smoothing of the frosting.

Pastry Bags- If you plan on doing any cake decorating, you will need pastry bags.

Toothpicks- This will help to ensure that the cake is thoroughly done. The toothpick test is the method that I used in this recipe.

Oven- I know, I know this is a no brained but with all the no-bake chocolate cake recipes out there, I want to make sure I included that you will need an oven. 🤣

Storage/Reheating

You will need an airtight container or cake pan for this Southern chocolate cake recipe. Storing things in a cake pan will ensure that you don’t ruin your cake and that it stay moist. You can refrigerate for later use. Once ready to eat remove from the fridge and warm in the oven for 15 seconds or until warm.

Food Safety/ Tips

Try not to leave the cake in scorching temperatures. This will cause your cake to melt and we don’t want that.

If transporting to an event. Use a cake container to protect the cake from falling. Handle with care.

In Conclusion

In addition, Southern chocolate is a must try at least once in your life for my chocolate lovers if filled with a ton of flavor not to mention how easy this recipe is. This cake is entirely versatile. It can be made simple or taken up a notch. There are no limits you can’t go with this most amazing chocolate cake.

Well, until next time, folk!

5 from 2 votes