Otis’s Easy Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe (Made from scratch)

Super moist crowd-pleasing classic chocolate cake made easy and it reminds me of my crunchy moist chocolate cookies recipe. This may be your first time trying this, but it definitely won’t be your last.

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This is easily a top 5 homemade chocolate cake from scratch recipe! Chocolate cake brings back so many childhood memories for me, some good and some not so good because it makes me think of my father, who has transitioned.

He made the BEST chocolate cake EVER, and it was so moist! I’ve spent years trying to replicate his secret recipe and I think I finally got it down pack. This delicious moist chocolate cake literally melts in your mouth.

It tastes so good with a cold cup of milk and makes the perfect dessert for family movie night. It’s also the perfect cake for a romantic dessert with your boo. This chocolate cake recipe is top tier so give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed. 

Mom loved Dad’s cake

Hey, y’all! It’s been a while since I posted a dessert recipe but I was in the mood for some chocolate cake and decided to make my father’s famous moist chocolate cake recipe.

And boy… was it just as good as I remember it being as a kid when he would make it back in the day. My mom was probably the biggest fan of my dad’s cake, she absolutely loved it like we all did.

Every time I make it she says, “This reminds me of your father’s cake” and she always says, “It ALMOST TASTE AS GOOD AS HIS”! Ok Mom I get it, his is better. She cracks me up with her little backhanded compliment. Lol!

But listen, I’ve tried FOR YEARS to make a recipe that tastes as close as possible to my pops’ chocolate cake. I’m just glad that it’s 75% as good—it was half as good years ago.

Now, after a few updates, I think this is about as close to how my Pop’s Otis chocolate cake as it’s ever been. I don’t know EXACTLY how he made it, but I know he didn’t follow the box instructions. 

Now one thing I would say to my dad, because as men we were very competitive and always trying to outdo each other, is that my cake is made COMPLETELY FROM SCRATCH!

Pops would buy boxes of “BETTY CROCKER”, “PILLSBURY” and “Duncan Hines” cake mix and he would spice it up and add additional ingredients to it.

He never followed the instructions to a T. One thing I know is he would boil hot water and add it to the cake mix. He would also add buttermilk, melted butter, and more oil than what the box instructed.

The cake mix would be so soupy! But that’s how you know the cake will come out super moist. It has no choice but too because it cant possible go from soupy to dry within 45 mins to a hour in the oven. Lol!

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I would always sit in the kitchen as he prepared the cake like a darn addict waiting for him to get done blending all the ingredients and adding it to the cake pan.

I always enjoyed sticking my fingers in the bowl and finger out the little remaining cake mix left in it… I enjoyed that so much I would lick it clean! Hahaha! 

That was probably my favorite part of my dad making cake, eating the leftover cake mix. My mom wouldn’t let me because she thought it would make me sick because of the raw eggs I guess? I don’t know, just mom being a mom.

My dad, however, was the cool one, like most dads who let their kids get away with almost anything. So I was happy when he prepared cake without mom being around to stop me from cleaning out the bowl. Lol!

Matilda’s chocolate cake

Another 90’s childhood memory for me watching Matilda and the chubby kid eating that big moist dark chocolate cake! As nasty as the kid looked eating it, the chocolate cake itself looked darn good.

The frosting was chocolatey, and the cake looked so moist it almost looked like pudding. But I remember always asking my dad to make me a chocolate cake every time I’d see this movie.

If you don’t like chocolate cake looking at the one in this movie might change ya heart. Just don’t watch the kid eat it. Yuck!

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Cookware and utensils you’ll need:

For the best results and to make cooking and preparing the cake as easy as possible, make sure you have all the cooking utensils and cookware on hand. We want this process to go as smoothly as possible! 

• 2 large mixing bowls: You need 2 big mixing bowls to combine and mix the ingredients.
• Strainer: You need this to sift the dry ingredients. You sift the dry ingredients to remove all foreign particles or to break up lumps. You may notice little tiny hard pieces of flour or cocoa that you just don’t want in your cake in the strainer. Discard anything left over in the strainer. It also lightens the flour making it easier to mix with other ingredients and to mix evenly.
• Whisk: To combine the dry ingredients.
• Hand mixer: To blend the dry and wet ingredients and add air to the batter.
• Spatula: I always have a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure the cake batter is well blended. Parts of the batter tend to seep to the bottom of the bowl, and I use the spatula to scrape as much of the cake mix from the bowl to the cake pan.
• Burnt cake pan: You need this to bake the darn cake! Duh! Lol! J/p!
• Brush: The brush is needed to smooth out the frosting after adding it to the cake.  Make sure you have all these utensils.
• A wide plate: You need this to turn the cake upside down and sit the cake on when it comes out of the oven. You also use a big wide plate to coat your cake on.
• Cake lifter: Now this is what you need to lift the cake from the plate onto its final destination, like a cake holder as seen in some of the recipe photos. 

Ingredients you’ll need:

Ok so first, here is a list of all the dry and wet ingredients and why we’ll need them.

• All-purpose flour: This is obviously for the cake.
• Cocoa powder: This is used to give the cake its chocolate flavor.
• Sugar: Sugar sweetens the cake and locks in moisture which helps the cake stay soft after it’s done baking.
• Baking powder & soda: These are leavening agents that are both essential in helping the cake rise.
• Salt: Salt enhances/strengthens every layer of flavor in the cake.
• Hot water: Hot water is a must for me! It takes the cake from soft to “melt in your mouth moist”! Lol!
• Buttermilk: The buttermilk not only adds moisture and balances out the sweetness with its tangy flavor from its acidity but it activates the baking soda, producing gas which also helps the cake rise.
• Vegetable oil: The oil is for moisture… it helps to soften the cake along with the hot water.
• Butter: Butter adds richness in flavor.
• Eggs: The eggs are mainly for structure and in lighter cakes add color and flavor.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla flavor is so important in sweets. The cake won’t taste right without it.
• Pam cooking spray: This keeps the cake from sticking! Don’t want to put in all this work for nothing!

Chocolate frosting ingredients:

• Confectioner’s sugar: Powder sugar for the icing sweetness, which is the better option. Granulated sugar crystals will make for a crunchy icing. So for icing always use confectioners.
• Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder: This is to give the icing it’s amazing chocolate flavor.
• Melted butter: Give the icing flavor and a silky texture and consistency
• Milk: Milk helps to produce a thinner consistency.
• Vanilla extract: This is super important, without it the icing will lack flavor and have a bland taste so make sure you have vanilla extract.

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How to make chocolate cake

Below I will provide instructions and visuals for each step. First, we’ll be making the cake and then discussing the frosting. More detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card below and you can print the recipe if you need to.

1.  Add the dry ingredients to a big bowl and make sure to sift the dry ingredients as you pour them into the bowl with a strainer. Then with a whisk, mix well.
2. Add all your wet ingredients to another bowl then blend them with a hand mixer. Only use the egg yolks and make sure you let the melted butter cool down before adding it to the mixture.
   Add the melted butter to the bowl before you add the eggs. Don’t make the mistake of adding hot butter to the bowl after adding the eggs because it may cook them and that’s the last thing we want.
3. Combine and blend the dry and wet ingredients, then boil some water and blend it in as well. This is what’s going to make the cake super moist. As I said, I stole this technique from Papa Otis! Haha!
4. Preheat the oven to 350. Then coat your cake pan with PAM cooking spray, and a little melted butter, then add flour and shake it all around the pan so each part is coated.
5. Ok so you want to make sure that the cake pan isn’t too heavily coated with flour so turn the baking pan over and lightly tap the back of it to remove the excess flour, then pour the cake mix into the pan, and sit it on the lower rack in the oven. Bake the cake for 1 hour, then remove.
   
   

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If the cake doesn’t come out of the pan

Don’t beat yourself up if your cake doesn’t just easily slide from out the cake pan. That’s what we all want but sometimes things don’t go so smoothly. This dilemma kind of reminds me of when I’m trying to remove the shell of an egg and it doesn’t just come off easily.

I was just faced with this cake problem the other day actually when I was testing this recipe. I was busy on the phone yapping, got distracted, and forgot to add the flour to the cake pan. I must’ve subconsciously thought I was making cornbread or something. LMBBO!

This usually happens when you don’t add enough fat or flour or the Pam spray, which is amazing, is expired, and no longer effective. The easiest way to remove it is to place a plate or something similar on top of it and flip it over.

I used the actual cake holder to do this the other day, as you can see in the photo above. All my dishes were dirty, so I had nothing else to use. LMBBO! If you find the cake won’t come out of the pan, DO NOT TRY TO SHAKE IT OUT because you’ll ruin the structure of the cake.

Just sit it on A DAMP, WARM RAG OR TOWEL or sit the damp towel over it, and hopefully, it loosens up and comes out smoothly. Give it an hour before trying to lift the pan.

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How to make homemade chocolate frosting

1.   Add melted butter and vanilla to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Then add in the milk, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar and whisk until you achieve a smooth frosting.
3. Pour 1/3rd of the runny frosting over the cake, making sure all parts are fully coated, then set in the refrigerator.
4. Wait until the first layer of frosting hardens, then add half of the remaining frosting.
5. Wait another hour or two before adding the last layer of frosting which you’ll smooth out with a brush. 

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Why can’t you add all the frosting at once?

Ok so let me explain why I add the frosting in parts in not at once. I want to get into this because it’s more than just a frequent question I get about cake. Lol! So what I like to do is add 1/3rd of the frosting to the cake while it’s loose and runny.

The reason I do this is to provide the cake with a protective layer of frosting. Once this first protective layer of frosting hardens, it’s easy to brush on the remaining frosting which stiffens as it chills because the protective layer gives you a harder surface to brush the remaining frosting onto.

 If you don’t add that first layer of frosting while it’s loose and try to brush the soft crumbly surface of the cake with thick cool frosting, it will cause crumbs and small pieces of cake might break off and we don’t want that. It’s all about providing the cake with a hard layer of frosting so that it’s easy to add and smooth out without the cake breaking.

I hope I explained that in a way that makes sense.  After that… you ARE ALL DONE!!! BAM!!! All you need now is a good movie and a big cold cup of milk, and you’re on ya way to heaven. LMBBO!

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Frequently asked questions

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Hope yall enjoy my father’s cake! Please leave a comment below and give me a good rating if you love it as much as I do. Follow me on social media if you want to stay connected. Here are my handles Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. And please subscribe to receive notifications everytime I post a new delicious recipe.

Enjoy, later!
PBJ~

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Otis’s Easy Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: PhillyboyJay
• Prep Time: 1 Hr
• Cook Time: 1 hr
• Total Time: 2 Hrs
• Yield: 16
• Category: Desserts

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Description

This chocolate cake is so moist it literally melts in your mouth and it’s so easy to make. It tastes so good with a cold cup of milk and makes the perfect dessert for family movie night.

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Ingredients

• Dry ingredents
• 2–1/2 Cups White Sugar
• 1–3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 Cups Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2 Tsps Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Tsp Salt
• Wet ingredients
• 1 Cup Hot Water
• 1 Cup Buttermilk
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 2 Tsps Vanilla
• Baking pan
• Pam Non-Stick Baking Spray
• 2 Tbs Flour
• 2 Tsps Butter, melted
• Frosting
• 3–1/2 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 2 Tsps Vanilla

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Instructions

1.  Sift dry ingredients as you add them to a big mixing bowl, then whisk well. Remove any hard pieces caught in the strainer. 
2.  Melt the butter in a skillet or microwave then sit it aside til it cools off.
3.  Meanwhile add the wet ingredients (except the water) to a big mixing bowl and whisk well.
4.  Once the butter chills, add the butter to the wet ingredients then whisk well.
5.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
6.  Place a small pot of water over high heat until it comes to a rolling boil.
7.  Meanwhile, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients then blend well with a hand mixer.
8.  Once the water comes to a boil, scoop out a cup worth, add it to the cake mix, then blend it in with the hand mixer. 
9.  Melt some butter and wipe it around all parts of the cake pan and lightly spray all parts with Pam spray.
10.  Add the flour and shake the pan around so the flour covers all parts of the pan, then turn it upside down and hit the back to remove any excess flour. 
11.  Pour the cake mix into the cake pan, then lift it an inch above the table or counter and drop it. Do this 3 times. 
12.  Place the pan on the lower rack in the oven and bake for 1 hour, then remove it and let it chill.
13.  FROSTING: Add all the frosting ingredients to a medium mixing bowl then whisk until it’s nice and smooth.
14.  Once the cake cools, place a wide plate over it and turn it upside down to remove it from the pan.
15.  Pour 1/3rd of the frosting over the cake and make sure all parts are covered, then sit the frosting in the refrigerator to chill and brush the remaining frosting over the cake once the frosting stiffens.

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Notes

Keep the cake covered at all times in room temperature.