This sourdough chocolate cake recipe is so moist and rich! It is hands down the BEST cake I have ever had. This sourdough cake is so good that every other chocolate cake will pale in comparison.

Why You’ll LOVE This Cake

• Will literally be the best chocolate cake you’ll ever have
• Ultra Moist!
• Rich and decadent! Packed with delicious flavor
• Simple, easy-to-find ingredients

Um, did I mention how moist this cake is? It’s moist and ultra-rich! So rich that you’ll think it has a trust fund (Still waiting for this chocolate sourdough cake to show up on the Forbes billionaire list, watch out, Jeff Bezos!).

• All Purpose Flour: The base. No need to buy expensive cake flour. All-purpose flour works just fine.
• Sourdough Discard: The tang from the fermented sourdough starter discard adds a deliciousness. I use it in a lot of sourdough recipes.
• Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder. Dutch-processed will hinder the rise, which is not what we want.
• Espresso Powder or Instant Coffee: Enhances the chocolate flavor. No, you don’t have to use this. However, I highly recommend it due to the added depth of flavor. You can even use decaf espresso powder if you want to avoid caffeine.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness to the cake. All desserts need sweetness!
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Leavening agents.
• Salt: Enhances flavor. Do NOT skip this!
• Oil: Makes the cake moist! In recipe testing, I’ve tried butter instead but oil was better. Plus, the chocolate flavor is so overpowering that it doesn’t even make sense to use expensive butter. Save some money here and use oil. I use avocado oil but vegetable oil also works. Use any neutral oil.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances flavor.
• Eggs: Room temperature. Adds structure
• Sour Cream: HIGHLY recommended. This enhances the tang of the cake and also keeps it moist. I use sour cream in my popular sourdough vanilla cupcakes recipe, which is a fan favorite.
• Milk: Adds fat.
• Hot Coffee or Hot Water: Blooms the cocoa powder, which makes this cake ultra-rich. Without this, the cake wouldn’t taste as chocolatey.

Helpful Tools

What You’ll Need: Two bowls, a whisk, a spatula, and three 9-inch round cake pans. You will also need a handheld mixer or stand mixer to make the frosting.

For the frosting: A handheld mixer or stand mixer. A A cake turntable is not needed but can help a lot during the frosting process.

Overview: How To Make This Sourdough Cake Recipe

It’s a sourdough recipe AND a cake recipe all in one?! The two most intimidating things to bake?! Making this sourdough recipe is pretty straightforward forward. So, don’t be scared. I am here to guide you!

Here are the summarized steps for making this sourdough recipe:

1. Combine The Dry Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, white sugar, salt, and espresso powder (or instant coffee powder). Set aside.
2. Combine The Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the large eggs, oil, vanilla extract, milk, and sourdough discard.
3. Mix The Wet Ingredients And The Dry Ingredients. Mix them with a whisk or until they are combined. Make sure to get they dry bits off the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Do NOT overmix!! Once the batter is combined, stop mixing.
4. Bloom The Batter: Pour the hot coffee or hot water into the cake batter. This will help make the cake taste extra rich, so rich you might think it has a trust fund.
5. Fill The Three Cake Pans. I recommend using a kitchen scale so that all three cakes are as even as possible. No, you don’t HAVE to but I find that it helps.
6. Bake: Bake the cakes in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 20-25 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick or cake tester in the center of a cupcake. They are done baking if the toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool on a cooling rack in the cake pans.

Assembling the Cake

I know that you are probably nervous about assembling a three-layer cake. However, it’s not difficult at all! I am here to walk you through it. Take a breath in and a breath out. Remain calm!

Here are the steps to assembling the layer cake:

1. Individually wrap each cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. You can also freeze them. Frosting a cold cake is easier than frosting one that is at room temperature. Don’t worry, since they are wrapped in plastic wrap, they won’t dry out.
2. Place one cake layer in the center of the cake turntable or cake stand. Using a piping bag a spatula, cover the top with buttercream frosting. Repeat with the second cake layer.
3. For the top cake layer, place it upside down on top of the second cake layer. This will help ensure that the top of the cake is even and leveled.
4. Crumb Coat: Once all your cake layers are stacked, apply a thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Run a bench scraper around the cake to smooth the top coat. Refrigerate for one hour.
5. Final Frosting coat: Apply the final coat of frosting! Make it look pretty! This doesn’t have to be perfect.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I used a chocolate butter cream frosting for this cake. It’s an American buttercream, which is easy to make! It’s way better than the canned frosting that you can buy at the grocery store. It doesn’t take much effort. Plus, I’m not sure if you are aware, but the canned frostings at the store need to be whipped with a handmixer or stand mixer. You’re going to be using a mixer, why not make the frosting completely from scratch?!

The vanilla American buttercream that I use in my sourdough vanilla cupcakes recipe would also go well with this cake. Since the cake is already very chocolatey, we don’t need chocolate frosting.

Sourdough Cupcakes