Easy Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe (Moist Layer Cake)

A slice of chocolate chip cake on a plate showing two moist layers full of mini chocolate chips.

Easy Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe (Moist Layer Cake)

This Chocolate Chip Cake is a moist, buttery layer cake packed with mini chocolate chips and covered in fluffy chocolate chip buttercream. An easy, crowd pleasing celebration cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Chocolate Chip Cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 28

Chill Time 2

Servings servings

Calories 1000kcal

Author Jason Decker

Ingredients

For the cakes

2 & 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
10 ounces mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
4 large eggs room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/4 cups buttermilk room temp

For the frosting

1 & 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened
6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup chocolate shavings

Instructions

Preheat the oven 350°F and lightly spray 2 9-inch cake pans with baking spray. Place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of the pans. Spray the top of the paper with baking spray and set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2 & 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Place the mini chocolate chips in a medium-sized bowl. Add 1 and ½ tablespoons of the flour mixture and toss with the chocolate chips to make sure they are coated and set aside.
10 ounces mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar for 3 minutes.
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup light brown sugar
Add the eggs one at a time until fully mixed in, then stir in the vanilla.
4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and stir it in until combined.
Next, add half of the buttermilk, and stir until combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, scraping down the sides as needed.
1 & 1/4 cups buttermilk
Stir in the chocolate chips until they are distributed in the batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Take a spatula and smooth out the top, this will ensure the cakes bake up evenly.
Bake for 22-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, a few crumbs attached to the toothpick are okay but if there is any wet batter, it needs to be baked longer. Let the cakes cool completely in the pan.
While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer add the butter and whip until smooth.
1 & 1/2 cups unsalted butter
Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing the first batch in completely before adding more. The mixture will be thick after adding all of the powdered sugar.
6 cups powdered sugar
Add the salt, vanilla, and the milk. Mix until smooth. Once mixed in, turn the speed up to medium-high and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons milk
Stir in the chocolate shavings until just mixed in. I like barely mixing them in so they don’t break up as much.
1/4 cup chocolate shavings
To assemble the cake, take the cakes out of the pan and discard the parchment paper.
Trim the tops of the cake if there is any doming, so they are even and flat.
Place one of the cakes bottom side down onto your serving dish or cake plate. Add about 1 cup of the frosting and smooth it out to the sides.
Place the other cake, top side down, on top the frosting.
Take about another cup of frosting and lightly frost the entire cake, making a crumb coat. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to overnight to set.
Take the remaining frosting and frost the outside of the cake. Add more mini chocolate chips as garnish if desired. Cut and serve.

Notes

To ensure you get as little doming as possible on top of the cakes, I like to use these baking strips to help.
You can use different frostings, see my suggestions above.
To have enough frosting to add decorations to the outside, 1.5x the recipe of frosting.
Using mini chocolate chips is recommended.
Makes a large cake to feed a crowd.
Best enjoyed at room temperature.
These can be frozen, see above for how to do that.

Nutrition